Well that was much easier than the last two parts!
After trying to get past the 1st chapter of Part 3 for three days (I can't concentrate on Russian people at 10 0'clock at night), I decided to read all of Part 3 in one shot last night, and it wasn't too bad. In truth, the hardest part of reading the dang book is looking for smart stuff to say to the genius brothers! Here are this week's observations:
The Humor in the Novel - I have to say, C&P is shaping up to be a pretty funny novel (purposely or not). I've always found Rodya's nasty temper and pomposity to be a gas, but my lord that Razumikhin is a crack-up! His drunken, desperate, love-struck rant - mixed with his anger over the near fist-fight he laments not starting at his political party - is a joy to read! I love characters like Raz.: unpredictable, rightgeously emotional, willing to die for a cause (or love), compassionate, and loopy! Not to mention, his honesty during the discussion (chapter 2) of Rodya's true character scene (when he flambes his good friend with a scathing portrait) is so audacious he instantly became my hero!
Casual Violence in the Novel - Is it me, or do a lot of people in this book take a beating now and then? Heck, Raz. offers up himself ("You may beat me, if you like") to the doctor - another funny character - after making the doc sleep in the landlady's apartment for the night.
Mom & Baby Sis - I have to say, both characters are coming out much better than I expected. The mother - who brings up Marfa's death in chapter 2, but never bothers to explain who she is to Raz - is quite comical. She and Dunya seem to have a plan - or at least an understanding - as to how they're going to deal with Luzhin, that's a lot more autonomous than I expected. I don't think they're the helpless fools I originally guessed (kudos to FD). I was shocked, SHOCKED that they didn't bat an eye over Luzhin's request to omit Rodya from any future contact, AND that they immediately took action to disobey the request. That's what I mean by "they seem to both be on the same page". When Dunya announced her request for Rodya to join them for the meeting, old mom never said boo! By the way, isn't Dunya great? She really knows how to handle her brother in chapter 3. Her response to his reasoning as to why she would marry Luzhin really shows just how strong she is.
Inner thoughts - Is it me, or did we have a lot of inner thoughts in this part of the novel (especially chapter 3)? Rodya's inner thoughts are most definitely the key to discerning his true nature (duh!). In chapter 3 he asks himself "Why, are you all afraid of me?", which is a question he already knows, I'm sure. He also talks about hating women, don't we all. But, of course, the best moments of his inner dialogue come during Porfory's "interrogation". Was that not one of the 3 best moments in the novel (this is starting to become a redundant question)?
Chapter 5 - What the heck could any of us say about this scene that wouldn't be obvious? From Rodya's laughing (clever) entrance, to his murder-justification theory, to outwitting "the trap", this chapter is quite possibly the best one so far (I'd really have to go back to take this statement "off the fence".). I also enjoyed just how mad Rodya got during Raz.'s "helping"
moments, and how cocky Rodya got during his "On Crime" explanation. We all heard Howard Roark again, didn't we? Finally, I liked Rodya's attitude about catching the crook, and the crook getting what he deserved (for being so stupid as to have gotten caught). He has a very practical approach to the whole theory; he really wins you over to his way of thinking (scary).
I guess the only part of Part 3 I didn't enjoy was Rodya's detour back home, before he went to his sister's meeting. I get that he needed to decompress - and that FD needed to bring in Svidrigaylov so he could end the Part on a suspenseful note -, but I wanted to see the meeting between Rodya and Luzhin (which also shows how good a job FD's doing with the novel).
That's it! Unless I went into a true, philosophical discussion and dialogue (which is what Ford wanted us to do, so sorry buddy) on Rodya's "On Crime" (which I, strangely, see the rationale behind), there's nothing more to do. And that, dear friends, would be a LOT to do; and I have things to do...
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I agree about Razumihin: I love his character! He’s so passionate and for a student, he really seems to act before he thinks, which surprises me. He’s very much a foil for Raskolnikov. In many ways, he reminds me of Dmitri Karamazov. Anyone else see this?
I also agree with your comments about Dounia. (Talk about being on the same page!) She’s a much stronger character than I anticipated – very much like her brother. I don't think mom could do much more than sit back for the ride. She was utterly lost in their conversation with Razumihin. She kept looking at Dounia to see if what she was saying was appropriate. She obviously doesn’t make a move without Dounia’s approval. We know who the “guy” is in that relationship.
I liked Raskolnikov’s “lightning flash” interior reflection with Profiry, too. He thinks WAY too much! He has all the contemplativeness that Razumihin doesn’t. That whole chapter was great. One of my favorites in the novel so far. Raskolnikov certainly seems practical in the extreme, to the point of emotionally icy. He’s actually a lot of fun when he’s cocky, and he gets cocky when his brain starts working. When he’s all pensive and brooding, he’s boring and touchy; but when he’s thinking, especially when he’s trying to out-think someone, he’s really in his element and a joy to watch. I like him a lot more now. Every time he becomes too distant, Dostoevsky finds a way to win me back to him.
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